Israel strikes Gaza hospital compound, targets Hamas commander

Israel carried out an airstrike on part of the Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital compound in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, saying it targeted a Hamas commander who was planning attacks, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources, reported Xinhua.

Palestinian security sources told Xinhua that an Israeli drone fired two missiles at a medical warehouse in the hospital compound in Deir al-Balah, causing damage.

Medical sources said three people were wounded and treated at the hospital's emergency department for minor injuries.

The Israeli military said the man targeted was a Hamas commander who had been planning attacks against Israeli troops and working to rebuild the group's military capabilities.

The strike was intended to remove what it described as an "immediate threat," it added.

Separately, a Palestinian farmer was killed by fire from an Israeli drone while working on his farmland in eastern Deir al-Balah on Saturday morning, according to witnesses.

An October 2025 U.S.-backed ceasefire halted major fighting in Gaza but has not ended Israeli strikes. Israel says the attacks are aimed at thwarting threats from Hamas and other militants, while Hamas has accused Israel of repeatedly violating the truce.

Israeli attacks have killed at least 73,449 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 174,472 since October 2023, according to Gaza-based health authorities.